February. in 2017

I wanted to write at least 1x per week, but it’s looking more like 1x per month will be more realistic.

You guys. There is SO MUCH going on all.the.time. There is good stuff, there is crazy stuff, there is some sad stuff and there is just STUFF.

I wrote a whole entry about the Women’s March (1/21/17), but never finished it, so hopefully I will get that done soon. Long story short: it was great to be part of the experience and I definitely extracted all that I wanted from it + more.

Let’s start from the highest level:

All good things are up.

Quick status:

Marriage = great
Aaron and I are doing well, busy and a bit disconnected, but happy with how we are tackling all the challenges and successes that are coming our way lately. He’s currently in Charlotte, NC, traveling to Denver, CO tomorrow, coming back for a few days for the weekend and then heading to London next week. He’s busy, which is great, but definitely adds a huge burden to my load. But I’m doing well, and proud of him for what he’s taking on. When he feels confident, life is really great for everyone involved.

Kids = challenging, but amazing
Both kids are thriving in their respective schools and we are in a new rhythm this week as I am “solo parenting” for longer than I ever have before. It’s been hard and frustrating, but enlightening and grounding as well.

Aurion is: clever, sweet, sassy, stubborn, determined, fierce
Joaquin is: sensitive, smart, thoughtful, stubborn, contrarian, energetic, feisty

They are such unique and special human beings, but they are relentless in their pursuit of Pushing All The Boundaries and simultaneously extending their Independence while clinging to their Touchstone (which lately, is all me).

I put Joaquin into a lottery for a Dual Immersion language program at a school in a neighboring city outside of our district, and I found out today that he was waitlisted for all three programs I put him in for (1-Spanish; 2-French; 3-Italian).. so it’s not IMPOSSIBLE that he will get in, but it’s more likely that he will be attending his “home” school here in Eagle Rock, which is an excellent “back-up” option and is the exact reason we moved to this area. So my next endeavor is to try to figure out if he should be in T-K (transitional kinder) or K (traditional kinder). As I’ve mentioned before, he is on the cusp: The cutoff for kindergarten is 9/1 and his birthday is 8/29. T-K is actually only for kids born between 9/2 and 12/2, and it’s essentially designed to be a transitional (aka FREE) period between preschool and kindergarten if you’re just not sure if your kid is ready yet… it’s another option for redshirting, basically. So technically he doesn’t qualify, but I learned recently that there are some work-arounds that I should explore, and some options that are “off the books.”

GEEEEZ. SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT.

My ego side is MOST concerned about whether or not he will get into the G.A.T.E program which is the gifted / talented program. And I wonder if I’m handicapping him if I put him in “too early” – which really isn’t THAT big of a deal - he either is or isn’t going to be considered gifted / talented – I’m not sure an extra year of prep will change anything.

But if he does get accepted into that program, he will be more challenged in general and more exposed to higher level problem solving, critical thinking, etc. and I really want to give him an advantage there if I can.

insert lots of hand-wringing

Anyway, stay tuned for more developments.

Aurion, on the other hand, is scheduled to “move up” to the next level at her child development center at 18 months; she’s now 16 months and they are already starting to ponder whether she’s already ready to move up, but her current teachers don’t want her to go (they love her so!). She moved up to her current class a month early, so odds are she will do the same with the next level. She’s such a clever, sassy little monkey. I love it so much, but it’s also challenging as hell. Between the two of them, I can never just “be.” It’s always a constant marathon of negotiations and tap dancing. Especially when it’s just me with them. Exhausting.

But. These are ALL GOOD PROBLEMS. I’m so happy to have to ‘worry’ about the things I have to ‘worry’ about.

So I think I need more entries to cover the rest.. but here’s a glimpse for my own posterity:

Work = great [new website, new blog etc. and LOTS of early momentum for this year]

Working out = good [I’ve met my goals every day so far this year, working on challenging myself even more]

Self-care = could be better, but not terrible [desperately need a pedicure and a “day off”]

Social life = good [lots of fun friends and playdates always in rotation]

Future plans = amazing [Girls weekend in Palm Springs in March; Disneyland in March; Coachella in April; Another Girls weekend in Palm Springs in May, Trip to MN in May]

Meditation/ writing / reading / activism = NEEDS IMPROVEMENT! [working on all of this but I need to focus]

Last updated February 15, 2017